The Nittany Lions program could have been in shambles, and stayed in shambles, for the better part of five years. But O'Brien became the great stabilizer in leading Penn State to an 8-4 record in the face of NCAA sanctions.

Let's just quickly recap:

O'Brien agreed to become head coach two months after former assistant Jerry Sandusky was charged with sex crimes against minors.

It was one uphill battle after another for O'Brien before the season even began. Then, when the games started, Penn State suffered back-to-back losses, one in embarrassing fashion on five missed field goals.

All the ingredients were in place for a downward spiral. But that didn't happen.

The Nittany Lions won eight of their last 10 games and got a signature win in their regular season finale against Wisconsin. O'Brien won Big Ten and several national coach of the year honors, most recently the Bear Bryant Coach of the Year award.

While in Houston for the awards ceremony, two other candidates -- Kansas State's Bill Snyder and Texas A&M's Kevin Sumlin -- shared their thoughts on O'Brien and the job he did this past season.

As outsiders, fans and media types can certainly appreciate what O'Brien accomplished, but never fully understand it. Coaches know what goes on behind closed doors, how hard it is to overcome those obstacles, how tirelessly you have to work through that kind of offseasons.

"I think he did an amazing job, and not just on the football field," Snyder said. "The way he handled the entire environment and the loyalty he showed after the season -- and during the season for that matter -- I was very impressed. Good man."

Loyalty is an interesting word for Snyder to use after O'Brien flirted with NFL jobs with the Cleveland Browns and Philadelphia Eagles. Those talks didn't go beyond the surface, though, and O'Brien appeared to have never wavered in returning for a second season.

"From an outsider looking in, with what went on this time last year through the summer, for him to rally the troops in a situation where you lose early, that's a great job," Sumlin said. "You don't do that on Saturday. You do that during the week and during the offseason. A lot of coaches look at that and say 'Wow.'"